Stay with Me?
by Gothic Thorn
Summary: The Tallest finally cut off all communication from Zim, leaving him isolated.This brings out a reaction from Dib he never thought possible. Zadr!


It was only a matter of time.

No, really. It was.

The Tallest had finally lost all amusement in Zim's shenanigans, and completely lost patients in every moment he wasted their time. They simply decided he wouldn't be wasting their time anymore...

All communication? Gone. Any replacements or repairs for his technology? Gone. Any way to bring the Invasion Team to finish the job once Zim got any further with the Earth? Didn't exist.

But before everything was cut off Tallest Red and Purple made sure to give Zim the message loud and clear. He was defective. He was not an Invader. His mission was fake. He wasn't even supposed to be on Earth. The fact that a planet was beyond their known universe was a mistake. All was meant to keep Zim in space. He was nothing. A disgrace to the Irken race. The called ended, and the proof lie in Zim's attempt to call back being, as predicted, fruitless.

This was of course a call that Dib was finally able to bug.

Dib slipped of his headphones and stared in shock at his computer screen. He watched as Zim tried again and again to call back his Tallest.

He watched with increasing anxiety as Zim became more and more frustrated.

A shaking hand switched off the monitor before running through jet black hair.

Dib had never been more fearful in his entire life. Everything was about to change, and he just wasn't ready for it.

Zim might just continue his attempts at claiming the Earth, Tallests or no Tallests... though no matter what his true spirit would be gone. No more passion would be put into plans, and they would fall into fruitless attempts, just for the sake of fruitless attempts. Dib would not... _could_ not continue to thwart these plans. Not when they were only a mild distraction and not something that took an actual fight. Not while having to watch an empty shell of what was once Zim.

Dib tapped on his desk trying to calm himself down... and he quickly realises what he was feeling could only be a fraction of what Zim was feeling.

What if he needed a repair? What if his ship ran out of fuel? What about his Irken food supply? What if his only robot companion shut down and needed spare parts?

He was stuck on a deserted island after a plane crash.

He was in a futility stocked bomb shelter after a nuke only he survived.

He was caught deep in the ocean with too little oxygen to even think of making it back to the surface.

He was completely trapped.

Dib charged through his house, swung open the front door, and ran down the sidewalk toward Zim's base. He couldn't stop screaming, "Zim!" until he got there.

The security system had been neglected, so Dib easily burst into Zim's living room. Zim must have still been in the base, so Dib slid past a sleeping Gir, and came down the toilet that he remembered as a portal.

Zim's reaction after the initial frustration had been far outside what Dib was expecting. Zim was flat on the base floor while an arm extended upward to feebly press the same button over and over and over again.

Finally, exhausted the arm came down limply to meet the rest of its Irken body.

"Zim!" Dib shouted one last time as he ran over to the alien. The human scooped Zim up and held him in his arms. Dib embraced the alien, telling him it was all going to be okay as their bodies echoed each-others sobs.

Dib felt trapped too, though he never really understood it to be an option to leave Earth. Where could he go to not be trapped in any place?

Zim, feeling more strength, was able to adjust a little until he was just sitting there on Dib's lap.

Questions hung in the air, their answers best assumed rather than known. Was Dib going to try to expose Zim, here in his base without his disguise... or any place for the matter? Was Zim going to leave? Without Irk would Earth really be the place he'd choose to stay?

Was this a truce?

Dib spoke first almost hoping to answer and receive answers for those daunting questions. "I'm going to help you with any repairs or replacements I can."

"Thanks."

"What about your food supply?"

"Zim is stocked well enough... and food is mostly optional anyway."

Was Zim done in any attempt to take over the Earth? Was Dib going to be... Zim's companion? Were they each going to make it?

Zim asked, "Did you know?" _Did._ As in before the call that Zim wasn't even going to question.

"No."

"Will Zim still go to skool?"

Does that mean he's staying?

"Zim can go if Zim wants to." Dib almost added, "I'll be there," but didn't.

How _was_ Zim going to spend his time now?

"How is Zim going to fill his time space?" Zim echoed Dib thoughts.

Dib played with edge of Zim dress—invaders' uniform. "That's up to Zim too."

"How would you like me to spend it?"

Dib looked up and a world of thoughts rushed into his mind. Zim could finish skool like any human and then work side by with Dib on investigating the paranormal. They could team up for revenge on Zim's home planet. They could find planets for Zim to conquer.

"Well... for starters... before we can figure out your next move, anyway... we could"—work together, Dib thought hungrily—"plan revenge on all those skool kids who make our lives so miserable."

"That would mean I'd stay in skool with you?"

"It would certainly make things easier." Dib smiled.

"Would that make us..." Zim brought his head onto Dib's chest. "friends?"

Dib brought his chin to rest on Zim's head. Before that call Zim was nothing but his enemy. Perhaps he _meant_ everything, but was still only his enemy. After that call... Dib felt nothing but panic and concern for the changes about to come. Selfish really... then he imagined what Zim must be feeling... and that was worse. Although nothing compared to seeing Zim on that base floor. And here they were; Zim in Dib's lap. Dib _enjoying_ Zim on his lap, as the latter imagined a perfect future... _together?_

What to say to Zim, now? Let's be more than friends? The term you're looking is _boy_friends? Am I really enough reason to stay on Earth? We hated each-other right before this remember?

Right?

Did Zim fully realise what it meant to date? How badly Dib had been wanting—ah, just now started wanting that from Zim? There was that experiment with Tak... and Zim was defective, so even if the Irkens weren't into that Zim could still be...

Mostly Dib wanted to sit with Zim on his couch with a few movies. Where Dib could hold him, and continue to make sure their new situation was going to turn out just fine. In fact, he was going to suggest going upstairs. But first he had a question to answer.

"I'll be whatever you want me to be."

* * *

Hmm... not so sure of that last line as I once was. Maybe I'll think of a better one. But for now! Thank you for reading! I don't own the characters. And reviews are always welcomed.


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